India vows to protect freedom of thought at G-7

◗ THE G-7 comprises seven of the ‘largest’ advanced economies in the world and the EU but the G-7 host nation can invite leaders of other nations as guests to the summit

Even as the debate over respect for freedom of expression and democratic values rages on in the country, India on Tuesday signed up for G-7 Outreach 2022 Resilient Democracies Statement that hailed democratic systems, defence of open public debate, independent and pluralistic media and the free flow and accuracy of information, protection of human rights’ defenders, promotion of non-discriminatory and inclusive environments, protection of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, promotion of inter-faith dialogue and social cohesion.

This came at the end of the G-7 Outreach Summit that the G-7 countries had with the four guest countries invited by Germany as the host which were Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa apart from India. Germany currently holds the presidency of the G-7 grouping that comprises seven nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The G-7 comprises seven of the “largest” advanced economies in the world — and the European Union (EU) but the G-7 host nation can invite leaders of other nations as guests to the summit.

The 2022 Resilient Democracies Statement said, “We, the Leaders of Germany, Argentina, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Senegal, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union, affirm our commitment to strengthening the resilience of our democracies.

It added, “In recognition of the dramatic changes in the geopolitical situation since then and the significant threats to democratic systems around the world, we remain steadfast in our commitment to defending peace, human rights, the rule of law, human security and gender equality, as recognised by international law, including the United Nations Charter, and call on our international partners to join us in these efforts. We hail all courageous defenders of democratic systems that stand against oppression and violence.”

The statement also mentioned, “As democracies, we seek to promote a rulesbased international order, respect other states' territorial integrity and sovereignty, respect and defend the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, support the peaceful resolution of conflicts, oppose the threat or use of force of any kind that is not in compliance with international law, protect human rights.”

On the freedom of expression, the statement went, “Democracies enable open public debate, independent and pluralistic media and the free flow of information online and offline... We are prepared to defend these principles and are resolved to protecting the freedom of expression and opinion online and offline and ensuring a free and independent media landscape through our work.”

It added, “We commit to guarding the freedom, independence and diversity of civil society actors, speaking out against threats to civic space.”